Do you see that woodpile by the shed door ?" "Yes, sir." "Very good.

In the kitchen you'll find an empty woodbox.

Do you think you could fill it with wood from that woodpile?
You'll find plenty of short, small sticks already chopped." "Oh, yes, sir, I'd like to," nodded David, hastily but carefully tucking his violin into its case.

A minute later he had attacked the woodpile with a will; and Simeon Holly, after a sharply watchful glance, had turned away.
But the woodbox, after all, was not filled.

At least, it was not filled immediately, for at the very beginning of gathering the second armful of wood, David picked up a stick that had long lain in one position on the ground, thereby disclosing sundry and diverse crawling things of many legs, which filled David's soul with delight, and drove away every thought of the empty woodbox.
It was only a matter of some strength and more patience, and still more time, to overturn other and bigger sticks, to find other and bigger of the many-legged, many-jointed creatures.